I welcome the passage of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill yesterday. I am conscious that it must go back to the Dáil so that the amendments to it can be passed there. I compliment Senator Barrett on having some important amendments accepted, in support of which a number of Senators spoke during the Committee Stage debate. Those amendments will ensure greater scrutiny by both Houses of the Oireachtas over some of the reporting mechanisms in the Bill. It is great to see this Bill finally being put in place. It has long been promised and will provide for a much stronger framework - a proper statutory framework - for the meeting of our emissions targets. I hope we will see great progress made at the Paris talks on climate change next week. I also hope that we will have time in the New Year for a debate on the outcome of those talks in the context of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill, which has now been passed by this House and which will have become law by January 2016.

Finally, I was pleased to launch, along with Labour Women and former Members of this House, Ms Justice Catherine McGuinness, Ms Mary Henry and Dr. Peter Boylan, legislation produced by Labour Women on the repeal of the eighth amendment, which sets out the framework within which legal terminations of pregnancy would be provided for upon repeal of that amendment. This is a crucial part of Labour Party policy and our manifesto states that we will be seeking repeal of the eighth amendment if elected to Government at the next general election. I would like the House to debate this matter in the new year, particularly in light of the comments made by the Taoiseach last night to the effect that he would support the concept of establishing a convention to examine this it. Many of us who were involved with the Constitutional Convention, particularly with regard to the issue of marriage equality, would be very supportive of such a mechanism. Whatever the mechanism, we need to see a referendum on repeal of the eighth amendment in the early course of the next Government.

On behalf of the university Senators, I pay tribute to Bernard Hand. I hope he will drop into the House from time to time because wise counsel is always most welcome here. Reference has already been made to Paddy Cullen.

Many stories are told about Paddy, one of the great characters in Irish sport. One was that after four games between Dublin and Meath in 1991, which 250,000 people attended, his team lost the fourth by one point. Sean O’Rourke asked him if there was any future for him in management and he said, “I don’t know. I’m off to the airport. I’ll check if there’s anything for Siberia one-way.” Of course, there was no need for that. Paddy remains one of the great characters and I am sure Bernard also has many stories about him.

Today's edition of The Irish Times contains an article by David Robbins in which he discusses the coverage of climate change issues. Senator Bacik introduced the first Bill here on climate change and we debated the topic yesterday. According to Mr. Robbins, “Irish coverage stood at 10.6 stories per title per month, compared with 58.4 in the rest of Europe.” Our three or four-hour debate yesterday would form the basis for many articles to remedy that deficit. I hope the climate change march in Dublin is a success and, like Senator Bacik, I also hope the Paris conference will a success.

I welcome the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council report. I esteem Professor John McHale and the Ministers involved, Deputies Noonan and Howlin. The warning, however, is that budget 2016 does not address weaknesses with the Government’s medium-term fiscal plans beyond 2016 and multi-year expenditure ceilings are not being implemented. The large increase in spending in 2015 through the Supplementary Estimates process was a deviation from prudent policy. We have to keep that under review. Perhaps one of the Ministers should come to the House to tell us how he sees the situation.

Having wished Bernard a happy retirement, it is a time for congratulations because Senator Norris will receive an honorary doctorate from Trinity College, Dublin at 3 p.m. tomorrow. That is a great honour for the father of the House.